A few weeks ago, we stopped in to check on the progress of the bar's facelift. The upstairs was finished and looked, impressively, like an English pub -- completely different from the shady dive that it once was. The downstairs room, on the other hand, was completely gutted. The bar's owner, Neil Connell, however, promised that it would look like an authentic Irish pub.

Last night, we had a chance to stop by and check it out, and it pretty much looked like the old Cavern -- but with a coat of brown paint and a couple of Harp and Guinness signs hung on the walls.

Turns out, though, the guarantee of an authentic Irish pub in the downstairs room wasn't the only promise of Connell's that fell flat.

In January, he told us that the weekly music format upstairs would stay
the same, but, last night, the bartender informed us that the
music schedule had dwindled to "Cool Out with Tony Schwa" on Monday
nights, Ricki Derek on Sunday nights, and "Karaoke with Chris" on
Tuesdays -- a far cry from the Cavern's once jam-packed weekly schedule.

To be fair, when opening a new bar, there are more than a few kinks to work out. And the bar did still appear to be a work in progress.

Plus, on the upside, the downstairs bar now boasts a better selection of beers than
the Cavern ever did. And, Connell made good on his promise of food,
which is prepared in the Daddy Jack's kitchen, next door.

Now, they just have to get people used to the name change.

"I came in thinking it was still called the Cavern," said one bar-goer last night. "I had no idea that they changed the name."